Return to Darkness
by Lady Razeli
Summary: Takes place the second time Xena and Hercules meet. Ares and Hera need Xena to help bring the darkness back to earth, but first they must bring Hera back to life with a human sacrifice and sacrifice a young godling to engulf the world in darkness again.


Return to Darkness

By

Lady Razeli

Disclaimer: I do not own Xena.....or Hercules......unfortunately, but that's life, we can't always have our cake and eat it too.

Chapter One

"I can't believe you would do that to me," Iolaus said to Hercules as they walked. Xena was walking ahead of them on purpose with the excuse of scouting.

"I'm sorry Iolaus, do you think I planned this?" Hercules asked.

"No, but she's a lying bitch, she's just going to hurt you just like she did me, for all we know this is just some trap." They had stopped walking by now. Xena slowed her pace, she was still within hearing distance even if they didn't realize it and she idle around as if still going.

"Hey don't call her a bitch, now you and I both know what happen last time we crossed paths, but you haven't gotten to know her like I have. I'm telling you there's something different about her, what she showed me its real."

"She's a very good actress Hercules, you need to watch your back like I am."

"Guys if we're going to do this, we need to go now," Xena called back. They both looked at her and started walking towards her. She waited for them, and neither one of them spoke, as she pointed some things out.

"Wait." Xena and Hercules stopped.

"Just be honest is this a trap if so, let's just have it out right here."

"Wait if I told you it was a trap than it wouldn't be a trap because than you would know."

"I know, and once we know we'll just have it out here."

"All right well its not a trap, I don't have control over the army anymore."

"I need some proof."

"Fine, the baby is near him, I'll take you to him." She took them to the baby and the girl watching him confirmed that they had in fact put Xena through the Gauntlet.

"Believe me now?"

"I still think it's a trap and you scared the girl."

"Join me when you're not so damn paranoid, I'll stop them on my own if I have too."

"No, Xena wait we're coming, you wouldn't have asked for our help if you didn't need or want it." Xena looked into his eyes and he hers before she nodded. She didn't understand how one man could effect her down to her very core, well Ares could do the same, but in different ways. When she was with Hercules Xena could feel this warmth that started where her heart seemed to be beating again and spread throughout her body and surround her like a warm blanket. His eyes may have been blue, but she would never describe them as ice, they too had that warmth. Than when she looked into Ares brown eyes, they mislead you to think that you will immediately find warmth. But when they looked at each other as she had just looked at Hercules, a cold chill started in her spine and ran up her back, it was there even when he appeared from thin air. The cold spread throughout her body to the point where she knew exactly where he was if he were invisible and made her shiver a little in his presence.

"Ugh, don't do that in front of me," Iolaus told them. Hercules respectfully backed off and they continued walking. She was pleased when they had destroyed Darfus and her army, it was all revenge to her. They all ran for the hills, but she would get them back.

"You could stay with us," Hercules told Xena.

"Yeah I could, but I'd rather not break you and Iolaus up."

"You wouldn't be, he'll get over it," Hercules told her quietly.

"Somehow I don't think he will with me."

"Once he gets to know the real you, I really think he would, no could learn to like you and even love you."

"What are you trying to say?"

"That I barely know you, and the one thing I know for sure about you is that I love you." Xena stared at him in complete shock. Her body went rigid as she just stared her mouth finding itself slightly ajar at the words. "Xena?" He tried to moved her, but she was as stiff as stone and cold. "Xena?"

"What the hell?" Iolaus asked. He had already known Hercules true feelings and he expected him to express them, he was more surprised seeing Xena turn stiff and it didn't look like it was with rage.

"Xena?" She moved again as she blinked.

"What did you say?"

"I said I love you." Xena was about to reply when her body felt on fire. She cried out in pain, even Hercules could feel the fire on her skin, and he immediately became worried again. He became more alarmed when he couldn't touch her, his fingers went right through her body. She reached up to touch his face and suddenly she became pure granite stone.

"All right, if this isn't the work of a God, than I don't know what is, this is not normal, I've seen women cry, faint, and scream, but never turn to stone at hearing those three words," Iolaus told Hercules.

"Ares," Hercules growled. Ares appeared.

"You rang?" He was grinning at his brother.

"Ares, what did you do to her?" Hercules demanded. Ares laughed as one hand rested on his sword.

"Oh it's not what I did dear brother, its what you did."

"What?"

"You see Xena is my chosen." Hercules face paled as all the color left him like the sands in an hourglass.

"What does that mean?" Iolaus asked either Ares or Hercules which ever one bothered to answer him.

"Oh yes dear brother, she is my chosen and you have well look what you've done."

"Change her back," Hercules growled.

"I'm afraid not, see you did one two many things with my chosen, she's like that forever." He laughed as he disappeared.

"Please explain to me what just happen."

"Xena is Ares chosen. Because she is a woman there are different rules or rather rules added on. When a male God chooses a woman as his chosen she is a virgin."

"Well she was no virgin."

"No, no she was a virgin, no man can deflower her except a God. The thing is you think you had sex with her, because she has that power. I on the other hand can deflower her."

"You deflowered Ares chosen?" Iolaus asked in shock. "I'm surprised he hasn't killed you."

"Because her virginity comes back she can't really lose it until he takes it. However he isn't attacking because he knows just having her turn into stone is enough."

"Well help me out because that's what's going over my head, why did she turn to stone?"

"Because I said I love you."

"What?"

"She's not allowed to act on her romantic feelings for anyone and if they say I love you and she actually, I mean truly loves them back than she turns to stone after its been said twice. I think I shocked her or she would have told me not to say it."

"So now she's a stone forever."

"Technically yes until Ares deflowers her."

"But she's stone."

"I know."

"So he gets virginity and she gets her life back after being raped?"

"Yes."

"How aware is she of what is going on?"

"Very, always the same expression on her face and same body position, but never the same thoughts."

"So what do we do?"

"Go to Aphrodite of course, for stone she must really love me back for my relief."

"What can Aphrodite do?"

"I don't know, but loves her specialty."

"True, I've always wondered if we'd ever find a use for your sister." Hercules lifted Xena up after he promised that she would be free again soon.

"I'm sorry this happened to you Xena, I wouldn't have wished this even on you," Iolaus told her. Nothing changed and the wind blew, so Iolaus merely sighed and walked along side Hercules in silence pulling the horse with her things after adding their own.

* * *

"Ha ha, I love you," Ares mimicked. Xena bared her teeth together as she pulled at Hephaestus' chains.

"Damn it why are you doing this to me."

"Because you my dear have a special destiny." He felt her stomach, which had grown large over the pass few weeks. He had needed Xena to get pregnant by Hercules it was all part of his mother's plan to get back. Two children, one born from his father's bastard son and one from his own loins born of the same mother at the same time. And who better than to birth his son than his beautiful Xena, he only regretted having to make his son share his Xena with the child of Hercules.

"What destiny would possess you to finally take my virginity without my permission, worst of all get me pregnant while I was already pregnant."

"You are meant to be the mother of my children, you just need to have these two for Hera, and when its all over I will make you my wife, and when you have won enough battles, my Queen, a Goddess.

"I have no wish to be a Goddess or serve your mother in any way, I despise your mother." He slapped her.

"You will not speak of my mother that way." Xena remained silent, she was four months along she judged and still she could hear Hercules in her head visiting her at Aphrodite's temple every day hoping, she would return from stone, but she was never stone. She never had been stone, and if she wasn't with child, Hercules wouldn't be under the pretense he was. Ares pushed her back against the wall she was chained too and kissed her neck. She had no wish for him to touch her as she did. It made her uncomfortable and it disgusted her. Both of her children sensed it, but she knew it was Ares child that kicked her stomach hard and hurt Ares as well as herself in the process.

"Owe, must be Hercules brat, I'd kill him if I didn't need him."

"Actually that was your child, she's not happy with you, she doesn't like you touching me."

"I am having a son." Xena grinned and laughed.

"The Great God of War wants a son, but he's getting a daughter."

"Oh is that so, and what is the great Hercules having?"

"He is having a son, and he is strong."

"Strong, weak is more like it, at best he's twenty-five percent immortal blood in him."

"Not anymore, you've been feeding me Ambrosia, its had its effects on him."

"You're just lying to throw our plans off, I will have my son, and Hercules son will die, and he is seventy-five percent mortal." He stormed off with Xena laughing after him.

"You will fail!"


End file.
